This relates to systems in which electronic devices are provided with power and data from external equipment.
Electronic devices such as portable media players and cellular telephones can be attached to external equipment such as power adapters and host computers. For example, a user who desires to charge a battery in an electronic device of this type may attach the device to a power adapter using a cable. When connected in this way, the power adapter may supply power to the device. The power may be used to operate the device and charge its battery. When the user wants to load music files or other data into the device, the electronic device may be connected to host computer using a cable. Power and data can be conveyed to the device from the host computer via the cable.
A typical cable for connecting an electronic device to external equipment has a Universal Serial Bus (USB) plug on one end and a 30-pin connector on its other end. The 30-pin connector may be plugged into a mating 30-pin connector in the electronic device. The USB plug may be plugged into a mating USB jack in a power adapter or host computer. Cables of this type have a pair of power wires for conveying power and a pair of data wires for conveying data. The inclusion of these wires in conventional cables can impose undesirable constraints on the size and flexibility of the cable.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved systems for conveying data and power between electronic devices and external equipment.